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Wine Advocate Review
Rated 89
It is dark ruby-colored with a perfumed nose of spice box and cherry. Sweetly fruited and juicy, it closely resembles a high level Cotes du Rhone. On the palate, it is a bit leaner and racier in style than the past few vintages. With excellent grip and balance, it can be enjoyed over the next 2-3 years.
Wine Tasting Notes
As a young wine, the Custodian shows a dark ruby purple hued color and distinctive rich ripe lifted plum, cherry and deep blackcurrant aromas on top of lighter lolly- like violet, musk and raspberry smells, the essences of Grenache. Touches of white pepper, tobacco, cinnamon and spice follow onto the medium to full-bodied juicy palate. The rich plum and sweet blackberry fruit flavors are lifted by gentle vanillin and coffee-mocha oak derived flavors and crunchy fine- grained fruit and oak tannins. After some bottle ageing the color becomes red-brown and the young fruit scented aromas and flavors gradually transform into velvety rich, spicy, strawberry jam, creamy chocolate, earthy and smoky edged aromas. This integration and complexity develops on the palate too, where the young tannin slowly falls away to reveal a seamless, soft sweet rolling middle palate mulberry and prune like fruit with tertiary biscuit, coffee and chewy old leather flavors before a long, soft, dry mouth filling fine acid finish.

d’Arenberg has developed an enviable reputation with their range of idiosyncratic wines. From the Stump Jumps through to the highly regarded Icons, these wines offer value, individuality and a true taste of McLaren Vale. The Icons The Ironstone Pressings, The Coppermine Road, The Dead Arm Shiraz The Icons are the most powerful and concentrated of d’Arenberg’s wines. Compris... Read more

d’Arenberg has developed an enviable reputation with their range of idiosyncratic wines. From the Stump Jumps through to the highly regarded Icons, these wines offer value, individuality and a true taste of McLaren Vale. The Icons The Ironstone Pressings, The Coppermine Road, The Dead Arm Shiraz The Icons are the most powerful and concentrated of d’Arenberg’s wines. Comprising of the Dead Arm, the Coppermine Road and the Ironstone Pressings, this range represents the pinnacle of d’Arenberg’s efforts. Century old, low-yielding vines produce intensely flavored fruit which is traditionally vinified and undergoes rigorous barrel-selection prior to classification. Chester's Champions The Lucky Lizard, The Twentyeight Road, The Last Ditch, The Money Spider, The Feral Fox, The Sticks & Stones, The Derelict Vineyard, The Cadenzia, The Galvo Garage, The Laughing Magpie Since the early 1900’s, d’Arenberg has pioneered innovative wine styles and varietal plantings. Chester’s Champions represent d’Arenberg’s most exciting new ventures, offering an eclectic alternative to the known and loved bastions of the portfolio. The Classic Red Stripes The Dry Dam, The Broken Fishplate, The Olive Grove, The Hermit Crab, The Custodian, The High Trellis, d’Arrys Original, The Love Grass, The Footbolt. The Classic Red Stripes represent the backbone of the d’Arenberg range. Considered the epitome of d’Arenberg’s style, they are a reflection of skillful winemaking and unique terroir – regionally expressive, fruit-forward and approachable. The Stump Jumps Stump Jump White, Stump Jump Red, Stump Jump Shiraz Named after an important South Australian invention – the Stump Jump plough, these wines are typically light- or un-oaked, offering a fresh, approachable view of McLaren Vale’s premium varietals. Read less

Wine Advocate Review
Rated 89
It is dark ruby-colored with a perfumed nose of spice box and cherry. Sweetly fruited and juicy, it closely resembles a high level Cotes du Rhone. On the palate, it is a bit leaner and racier in style than the past few vintages. With excellent grip and balance, it can be enjoyed over the next 2-3 years.
Wine Tasting Notes
As a young wine, the Custodian shows a dark ruby purple hued color and distinctive rich ripe lifted plum, cherry and deep blackcurrant aromas on top of lighter lolly- like violet, musk and raspberry smells, the essences of Grenache. Touches of white pepper, tobacco, cinnamon and spice follow onto the medium to full-bodied juicy palate. The rich plum and sweet blackberry fruit flavors are lifted by gentle vanillin and coffee-mocha oak derived flavors and crunchy fine- grained fruit and oak tannins. After some bottle ageing the color becomes red-brown and the young fruit scented aromas and flavors gradually transform into velvety rich, spicy, strawberry jam, creamy chocolate, earthy and smoky edged aromas. This integration and complexity develops on the palate too, where the young tannin slowly falls away to reveal a seamless, soft sweet rolling middle palate mulberry and prune like fruit with tertiary biscuit, coffee and chewy old leather flavors before a long, soft, dry mouth filling fine acid finish.